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By Kelly Zvobgo –
With less than six months to go until The Salvation Army’s 150th anniversary international congress, Boundless –The Whole World Redeeming, the full schedule is now available on the congress website, boundless2015.org. The schedule includes information about the seven general sessions to be hosted in the main O2 arena, along with details of concerts and seminars, the film festival and a new musical. These events will highlight the many ministries, talents and cultures of The Salvation Army to more than 15,000 delegates who will meet in London to commemorate the past, celebrate the present, and innovate for the future.
An International Music Festival will include three renowned Salvation Army bands: the International Staff Band, Angola National Band, and South America East Territorial Band, alongside songs from Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters and Youth Chorus. A World Concert will feature a Haka group from the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory, India Central Youth Singers, Ghana Band and Folk Singers, and the South America East Territorial Band. A World Dance Festival will showcase the talents of the Hawai’i Hula Hālau, “Wateule” (a vocal and dance troupe from Kenya West), dancers from the South America West Territory, and Korean fan dancers.
The schedule also includes a host of other concerts by groups as varied as the International Staff Songsters, the New York Staff Band with Canada’s London Citadel Timbrels, the Mizo Singers from Mizoram, India, and the USA Southern Territory’s transMission worship group, reunited with Phil Laeger for a “Doctrine Concert.”
Three seminars will focus on the subjects of Christian teaching, theology and social justice. “Faith and Social Justice in the 21st Century,” hosted by the International Social Justice Commission (ISJC), will bring together General André Cox and a panel of global experts to discuss how today’s people of faith can better contribute to the fight for social justice. The panelists will each speak before the floor is opened for a question-and-answer session.
The Boundless Film Festival, curated by SAVN.tv, will host the finest film talents in The Salvation Army. Taking place in the O2’s state-of-the-art cinema, the film festival will showcase work from professional units as well as from passionate and talented individuals from around the Army world. Featuring animations, dramas, documentaries, historical archive footage of Army heritage and more, the festival has something for everyone interested in the art and ministry of film-making.
Covenant is a new Salvation Army musical—script by Karl Larsson, music by Kevin Larsson and lyrics by Commissioner Keith Banks—to premiere at the international congress. It was created around the covenant that Salvation Army Founder William Booth wrote for his own funeral program and that he wanted people to sign, marking their commitment to the future of The Salvation Army.
Other events include “Neon” (a gathering for teenagers), international officers councils and Bound-less, an international women’s gathering. An International Prayer Meeting will also be convened daily.
The full congress schedule is available at boundless2015.org/boundless/schedule and includes prices of individual tickets, many of which will go on sale in late January.
For the latest updates, visit the congress website and follow the congress on Facebook (Boundless 2015), Twitter (@Boundless2015), and Instagram (@boundless_2015).
